Alabama color analyst explains only scenario for QB Tua Tagovailoa to beat out Jalen Hurts
By Kevin Duffey
Published:
Despite having the SEC’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jalen Hurts, several are tuning in to see if uber-talented freshman Tua Tagovailoa can somehow beat him out in 2017.
To put it simply — Tagovailoa dazzled during his first spring game, throwing for 313 yards and three touchdowns and marching the offense up and down the field. His footwork is well ahead of his years, and his quick release would have NFL analysts and coaches drooling. But nobody wants to talk about Hurts’ 301 yards and two touchdowns though, and it’s easy to dismiss his spectacular freshman season. Regardless of the spring game, it would be hard to see Tagovailoa playing any kind of significant role for Alabama this season, barring injury or just a straight sophomore slump from Hurts.
Could we see a Tim Tebow-type impact as a freshman? Remember, Tebow certainly had a hand in Florida’s 2006 championship season playing behind Chris Leak. What Leak couldn’t do, Tebow could. He was a great complement. What Tagovailoa can do, Hurts can do also — and probably better.
Alabama color analyst and Senior Bowl Executive Director Phil Savage sees a similar scenario playing out, too, when joining Cole Cubelic’s radio show.
"Only way I see Tua becoming the starter is if Jalen plays his way out of the position & I don't see that"
– @SeniorBowlPhil on @CubeShow
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) July 10, 2017
Don’t think for a second that all of the talk about Tagovailoa isn’t motivating Hurts. It will make Hurts bring his A game every single day, and that’s a great thing for Alabama.
A graduate of the University of Florida and founder of Saturday Down South, Kevin is a college football enthusiast.
